Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party today condemned the Aam Aadmi Party for rallying behind Jagtar Singh Johal arrested in connection with cases related to target killing of twelve innocent Punjabis, without verifying the facts from investigating agency that lead to arrest and even without verifying the allegations of torture. Terming AAP’s support as disgracing, Punjab BJP vice-president Harjit Singh Grewal and Punjab BJP secretary Vineet Joshi said, “It seems that AAP is supporting Jagtar Singh Johal just for the sake of NRI funding, which is highly condemnable. AAP is least worried about the impact of their actions on the peace and harmony of Punjab. The way AAP leaders are rallying for Johal on their Facebook accounts and pointing fingers at the police investigation, it is evident that they are fulfilling the agenda of ISI to throw Punjab back into the dark days of terrorism”.Seeking answers from the Aam Aadmi Party, the BJP leaders said, “AAP MLA Kanwar Sandhu and MP Bhagwant Mann should reveal as to how did they procure the facts related to Johal from Punjab police and when did they meet Johal. Without listening to the investigating agency, these two reached on a conclusion that Johal has been wrongfully confined and even without meeting Johal they concluded that he was tortured by the police”.
Providing details of incidents which point to AAP’s support for radical elements, the BJP leaders said, “It is no surprise that AAP is supporting Johal because their leaders have been soft towards such elements who want to disintegrate India earlier too. Former Delhi MLA Jarnail Singh addressed a rally in UK in support of Khalistan. In February 2016, a creative got viral on social media with AAP leaders making an appeal to celebrate Bhindrawale’s birth anniversary in a nearby Gurudwara, but AAP Punjab chose to remain mum and took no legal action against the poster. Ex-AAP leader Balkar Siddhu had accused the party of receiving funds from Khalistanis settled abroad. Similarly, AAP MP Dharamvir Gandhi had objected to taking support of extremists. A lady whose Chacha was a terrorist who was shot dead in an encounter and whose father remained jailed under TADA was made the member of AAP’s national council and subsequently became MLA on party's ticket. AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal met the Panj Pyaras who had appointed former Punjab CM Beant Singh’s assassin Jagtar Singh Hawara as the Parallel Jathedar and got their support for Punjab assembly elections. Persons related to Sikh for Justice, an organization which seeks to ‘free’ Punjab from Indian occupation, were made party’s office bearers and the other one became MLA on party ticket. Arvind Kejriwal stayed at the residence of former KLF chief Gurvinder in Moga. A person who caught as militant from Nawanshehar in June 2017 happened to be an AAP worker. So, No wonder as to why Arvind Kejriwal and other national leaders are mum on the issue of lending support to Johal”.Grewal and Joshi made an appeal to AAP asking it to refrain from playing politics over issues of national security. “Punjab police has achieved success in nabbing anti-national elements by putting in a lot of hard work. AAP leaders should have appreciated the police for its efforts rather than condemning it. Don’t push Punjab back into the dark days of terrorism for the sake of petty political gains”, they said.